Ineeka and David Rio Set High Bar for Teas
We’re huge chai fans here. We’ve reviewed chai concentrate, bagged inexpensive flavored chais, and high-quality truffle chai. But we were missing one of the easiest and most convenient forms of chai- the powdered stuff.
With milk powder and sweetener already included, all you need to do is add hot water. A little tweaking allows you to get the desired strength, and there is no need to wait for it to steep or worry about the teabag. Also, unlike concentrates, there is no need for refrigeration. We’ve tried a few types, but David Rio is our new favorite- not only do they offer several flavors, and happen to be based right here in San Francisco, they are quite high-quality.
The names aren’t all that descriptive, unfortunately- Tiger Spice makes sense, but Orca Spice is the sugar free blend. Elephant is vanilla… but Flamingo is sugar-free vanilla. Tortoise is the green tea variety, and Giraffe= decaf. We tried most of them, and the Tiger Spice is the best all-around. Drinkable, with a nice balance of the components and not too much cardamom or clove, Tiger Spice also has an almost-overwhelming smell that encourages you to make a cup instead of coffee for an alternative morning pick-me-up. At $9 for 14 ounces, it’s a bit pricier than some others, but similarly priced among other top-quality brands- and well worth it. Available online, and in some stores; sampler pack available for those who want to try them all.
Of course, there are purists out there. Folks who want their tea loose leaf, even their chai. Ineeka is for those kind of people- and us too, as we like to have everything all ways. Certified organic, biodynamic, nicely packaged, Ineeka also features a unique teabag that you pull open, allowing you to easily examine the tea, as well as making steeping faster and more even. The bags are clever, and definitely make for better tea, but are a bit of a pain as they require more care in disposal as well as make for difficult drinking unless you’ve removed them from the cup.
We tried their peppermint, and were suitably impressed. It tasted incredibly fresh, delicate, and light, with not even a hint of the cloying sensation that some other teas can have. It was hard to get more than a single steep out of it though, and the same was true to a lesser extent of their Ma-Chai, which had the slightly-unusual additions of rose and saffron. They came through more in color and aroma than in flavor, and though we’ve had more flavorful chais, this one also smelled and tasted quite fresh. Available online, and priced at $10 for 14 bags or $30 for 50.
